1 962 104 EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM ON CORTISOL RHYTHM AND MOOD STATES IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNLABELLED: OBJECTIVES. THIS STUDY COMPARES THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WITH BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY AT A CANCER CENTER. METHODS: EIGHTY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS ARE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 44) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N = 44) PRIOR TO RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDE DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS 3 DAYS BEFORE AND AFTER RADIOTHERAPY AND SELF-RATINGS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND STRESS COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. RESULTS: ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE REVEALS SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN ANXIETY (P < .001), DEPRESSION (P = .002), PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .001), 6 A.M. SALIVARY CORTISOL (P = .009), AND POOLED MEAN CORTISOL (P = .03) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN MORNING SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVEL AND ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. CONCLUSION: YOGA MIGHT HAVE A ROLE IN MANAGING SELF-REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND MODULATING CIRCADIAN PATTERNS OF STRESS HORMONES IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY. 2009 2 1036 50 EFFECTS OF YOGA IN MANAGING FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE IS WIDELY PREVALENT IN CANCER PATIENTS AND AFFECTS QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADVANCED CANCER PATIENTS. FATIGUE IS CAUSED DUE TO BOTH PSYCHOLOGIC DISTRESS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL SEQUEL FOLLOWING CANCER PROGRESSION AND ITS TREATMENT. IN THIS STUDY, WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC INTERVENTION IN MANAGING FATIGUE IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. METHODS: NINETY-ONE PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM (N = 46) OR SUPPORTIVE THERAPY AND EDUCATION (N = 45) OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD. ASSESSMENTS SUCH AS PERCEIVED STRESS, FATIGUE SYMPTOM INVENTORY, DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL, AND NATURAL KILLER CELL COUNTS WERE CARRIED OUT BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. ANALYSIS WAS DONE USING AN INTENTION-TO-TREAT APPROACH. POSTMEASURES FOR THE ABOVE OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING ANCOVA WITH RESPECTIVE BASELINE MEASURE AS A COVARIATE. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA REDUCES PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.001), FATIGUE FREQUENCY (P < 0.001), FATIGUE SEVERITY (P < 0.001), INTERFERENCE (P < 0.001), AND DIURNAL VARIATION (P < 0.001) WHEN COMPARED TO SUPPORTIVE THERAPY. THERE WAS A POSITIVE CORRELATION OF CHANGE IN FATIGUE SEVERITY WITH 9 A.M. SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA REDUCES FATIGUE IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 2017 3 851 48 EFFECT OF YOGA ON SLEEP QUALITY AND NEUROENDOCRINE IMMUNE RESPONSE IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. BACKGROUND: STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT DISTRESS AND ACCOMPANYING NEUROENDOCRINE STRESS RESPONSES AS IMPORTANT PREDICTOR OF SURVIVAL IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. SOME PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION STUDIES HAVE SHOWN HAVE MODULATION OF NEUROENDOCRINE-IMMUNE RESPONSES IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. IN THIS STUDY, WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON PERCEIVED STRESS, SLEEP, DIURNAL CORTISOL, AND NATURAL KILLER (NK) CELL COUNTS IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC CANCER. METHODS: IN THIS STUDY, 91 PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER WHO SATISFIED SELECTION CRITERIA AND CONSENTED TO PARTICIPATE WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE "INTEGRATED YOGA BASED STRESS REDUCTION PROGRAM" (N = 45) OR STANDARD "EDUCATION AND SUPPORTIVE THERAPY SESSIONS" (N = 46) OVER A 3 MONTH PERIOD. PSYCHOMETRIC ASSESSMENTS FOR SLEEP QUALITY WERE DONE BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. BLOOD DRAWS FOR NK CELL COUNTS WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. SALIVA SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING THE ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE ON POSTMEASURES USING RESPECTIVE BASELINE MEASURE AS A COVARIATE. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN SCALES OF SYMPTOM DISTRESS (P < 0.001), SLEEP PARAMETERS (P = 0.02), AND IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF SLEEP (P = 0.001) AND INSOMNIA RATING SCALE SLEEP SCORE (P = 0.001) FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN MORNING WAKING CORTISOL IN YOGA GROUP (P = 0.003) ALONE FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN NK CELL PERCENT (P = 0.03) FOLLOWING INTERVENTION IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST MODULATION OF NEUROENDOCRINE RESPONSES AND IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED BREAST CANCER FOLLOWING YOGA INTERVENTION. 2017 4 743 36 EFFECT OF RESTORATIVE YOGA VS. STRETCHING ON DIURNAL CORTISOL DYNAMICS AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH THE METABOLIC SYNDROME: THE PRYSMS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PURPOSE: CHRONIC STIMULATION AND DYSREGULATION OF THE NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEM BY STRESS MAY CAUSE METABOLIC ABNORMALITIES. WE ESTIMATED HOW MUCH CORTISOL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IMPROVED WITH A RESTORATIVE YOGA (RELAXATION) VERSUS A LOW IMPACT STRETCHING INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH THE METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A 1-YEAR MULTI-CENTER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (6-MONTH INTERVENTION AND 6-MONTH MAINTENANCE PHASE) OF RESTORATIVE YOGA VS. STRETCHING. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED SURVEYS TO ASSESS DEPRESSION, SOCIAL SUPPORT, POSITIVE AFFECT, AND STRESS AT BASELINE, 6 MONTHS AND 12 MONTHS. FOR EACH ASSESSMENT, WE COLLECTED SALIVA AT FOUR POINTS DAILY FOR THREE DAYS AND COLLECTED RESPONSE TO DEXAMETHASONE ON THE FOURTH DAY FOR ANALYSIS OF DIURNAL CORTISOL DYNAMICS. WE ANALYZED OUR DATA USING MULTIVARIATE REGRESSION MODELS, CONTROLLING FOR STUDY SITE, MEDICATIONS (ANTIDEPRESSANTS, HORMONE THERAPY), BODY MASS INDEX, AND BASELINE CORTISOL VALUES. RESULTS: PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE AVAILABLE FOR 171 STUDY PARTICIPANTS AT BASELINE, 140 AT 6 MONTHS, AND 132 AT 1 YEAR. COMPLETE CORTISOL DATA WERE AVAILABLE FOR 136 OF 171 STUDY PARTICIPANTS (72 IN RESTORATIVE YOGA AND 64 IN STRETCHING) AND WERE ONLY AVAILABLE AT BASELINE AND 6 MONTHS. AT 6 MONTHS, THE STRETCHING GROUP HAD DECREASED CORTISOL AT WAKING AND BEDTIME COMPARED TO THE RESTORATIVE YOGA GROUP. THE PATTERN OF CHANGES IN STRESS MIRRORED THIS IMPROVEMENT, WITH THE STRETCHING GROUP SHOWING REDUCTIONS IN CHRONIC STRESS SEVERITY AND PERSEVERATIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THEIR STRESS. PERCEIVED STRESS DECREASED BY 1.5 POINTS (-0.4; 3.3, P=0.11) AT 6 MONTHS, AND BY 2.0 POINTS (0.1; 3.9, P=0.04) AT 1 YEAR IN THE STRETCHING COMPARED TO RESTORATIVE YOGA GROUPS. POST HOC ANALYSES SUGGEST THAT IN THE STRETCHING GROUP ONLY, PERCEIVED INCREASES IN SOCIAL SUPPORT (PARTICULARLY FEELINGS OF BELONGING), BUT NOT CHANGES IN STRESS WERE RELATED TO IMPROVED CORTISOL DYNAMICS. CONCLUSIONS: WE FOUND SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN SALIVARY CORTISOL, CHRONIC STRESS SEVERITY, AND STRESS PERCEPTION IN THE STRETCHING GROUP COMPARED TO THE RESTORATIVE YOGA GROUP. GROUP SUPPORT DURING THE INTERACTIVE STRETCH CLASSES MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THESE CHANGES. 2014 5 720 33 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE ON FATIGUE AND DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL CONCENTRATION IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. PURPOSE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR IYENGAR YOGA PRACTICE ON MEASURES OF SELF-PERCEIVED PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTION AND DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL SECRETION IN STAGE II-IV BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (N = 18). DATA SOURCES: WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ATTEND YOGA PRACTICE FOR 90 MIN TWICE WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS (N = 9) OR TO A WAIT-LISTED, NONINTERVENTIONAL CONTROL GROUP (N = 9). TRADITIONAL IYENGAR YOGA ROUTINES THAT PROGRESSIVELY INCREASED IN DIFFICULTY AS PARTICIPANTS GAINED STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY WERE USED. AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK STUDY PERIOD, WOMEN COMPLETED SELF-REPORT INSTRUMENTS TO DOCUMENT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING, AND COLLECTED SALIVARY SAMPLES FOR CORTISOL ANALYSIS FOUR TIMES DURING THE DAY FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA GROUP HAD LOWER MORNING AND 5 P.M. SALIVARY CORTISOL AND IMPROVED EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND FATIGUE SCORES. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ARE AT RISK FOR CHRONIC PSYCHOSOCIAL DISTRESS THAT MAY ALTER ACTIVITY OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS, RESULTING IN ABERRANT REGULATION OF CORTISOL SECRETION AND INCREASED RISK OF IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION AND CANCER PROGRESSION. REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY BE A LOW-RISK, COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO IMPROVE PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING, FATIGUE, AND REGULATION OF CORTISOL SECRETION IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. THESE FINDINGS REQUIRE VALIDATION WITH A LARGER RANDOMIZED STUDY. 2011 6 2768 40 YOGA REDUCES INFLAMMATORY SIGNALING IN FATIGUED BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A POPULAR MIND-BODY THERAPY THAT HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, FEW STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED EFFECTS ON INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES. THIS STUDY TESTED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT AN IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR FATIGUED BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WOULD LEAD TO DECREASES IN INFLAMMATION-RELATED GENE EXPRESSION AND CIRCULATING MARKERS OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE ACTIVITY. METHODS: BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION (N=16) OR A 12-WEEK HEALTH EDUCATION CONTROL CONDITION (N=15). BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED AT BASELINE, POST-INTERVENTION, AND AT A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP FOR GENOME-WIDE TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILING AND BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSES. PLASMA INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE ALSO ASSESSED. RESULTS: IN PROMOTER-BASED BIOINFORMATICS ANALYSES, THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED REDUCED ACTIVITY OF THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR NUCLEAR FACTOR KAPPA B (NF-KAPPAB), INCREASED ACTIVITY OF THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR, AND REDUCED ACTIVITY OF CAMP RESPONSE ELEMENT-BINDING PROTEIN (CREB) FAMILY TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (ALL PS<.05). THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT INTERVENTION EFFECT ON THE SOLUBLE TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR RECEPTOR TYPE II (STNF-RII), A MARKER OF TNF ACTIVITY; PLASMA LEVELS OF STNF-RII REMAINED STABLE IN THE YOGA GROUP, WHEREAS LEVELS OF THIS MARKER INCREASED IN THE HEALTH EDUCATION GROUP (P=.028). A SIMILAR, NON-SIGNIFICANT TREND WAS OBSERVED FOR THE INTERLEUKIN 1 RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST (P=.16). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN C REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP), INTERLEUKIN 6 (IL-6), OR DIURNAL CORTISOL MEASURES WERE OBSERVED. CONCLUSIONS: A 12-WEEK RESTORATIVE IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION REDUCED INFLAMMATION-RELATED GENE EXPRESSION IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT FATIGUE. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A TARGETED YOGA PROGRAM MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY IN THIS PATIENT POPULATION, WITH POTENTIAL RELEVANCE FOR BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH. 2014 7 1330 32 HOLISTIC NURSING IN PRACTICE: MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION TO MANAGE STRESS AND BURNOUT. PURPOSE: EFFECTS OF A MINDFULNESS-BASED (MB) YOGA PRACTICE ON STRESS, BURNOUT, AND INDICATORS OF WELL-BEING AMONG NURSES AND HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS (HCPS). DESIGN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, 80 HCPS ASSIGNED TO EITHER MB YOGA INTERVENTION OR CONTROL GROUP. METHOD: THE MB YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 41) ATTENDED WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES AND PRACTICED YOGA INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 39) DID NOT RECEIVE THE YOGA INTERVENTION. STUDY PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRES, INSTRUMENTS INCLUDED (A) PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE; (B) MASLACH BURNOUT INVENTORY; (C) VITALITY SUBSCALE OF THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT FORM-36; (D) GLOBAL SLEEP QUALITY ITEM, (E) MINDFULNESS AWARENESS SURVEY, AND (F) SUBSCALE OF THE BRIEF SERENITY SCALE. DIURNAL SALIVARY CORTISOL AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE ASSESSED PRE AND POSTINTERVENTION. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P < .01) NOTED IN MB YOGA COMPARED WITH CONTROL FOR SELF-REPORTED FACTORS, INCLUDING STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE), BURNOUT (MASLACH BURNOUT INVENTORY), VITALITY (MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT FORM-36), SLEEP (GSQ), SERENITY/INNER HAVEN (IH), AND MINDFULNESS (MINDFULNESS AWARENESS SURVEY). DIURNAL CORTISOL SLOPES AND BLOOD PRESSURE WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED. CONCLUSION: THE MB YOGA INTERVENTION HAD A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF NURSES AND HCPS, MOST SPECIFICALLY FOR MEASURES OF STRESS; PERCEIVED STRESS, BURNOUT, VITALITY, SLEEP QUALITY, SERENITY, AND MINDFULNESS. 2021 8 1087 64 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY COMPARES THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WITH BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY ON DISTRESSFUL SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EIGHTY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 44) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N = 44) PRIOR TO THEIR RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA SESSIONS LASTING 60 MIN DAILY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS IMPARTED SUPPORTIVE THERAPY ONCE IN 10 DAYS DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED ROTTERDAM SYMPTOM CHECK LIST AND EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR RESEARCH IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER-QUALITY OF LIFE (EORTC QOL C30) SYMPTOM SCALE. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. RESULTS: A GLM REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS (P = 0.01), FATIGUE (P = 0.007), INSOMNIA (P = 0.001), AND APPETITE LOSS (P = 0.002) OVER TIME IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE ACTIVITY LEVEL (P = 0.02) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND FATIGUE, NAUSEA AND VOMITING, PAIN, DYSPNEA, INSOMNIA, APPETITE LOSS, AND CONSTIPATION. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE ACTIVITY LEVEL AND FATIGUE, NAUSEA AND VOMITING, PAIN, DYSPNEA, INSOMNIA, AND APPETITE LOSS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST BENEFICIAL EFFECTS WITH YOGA INTERVENTION IN MANAGING CANCER-AND TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 2009 9 1274 31 FUNCTIONAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN WOMEN WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A PILOT STUDY. CONTEXT: STRESS, BOTH PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL, HAS BEEN IMPLICATED AS HAVING A ROLE IN THE ONSET AND EXACERBATIONS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA). OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER NEUROENDOCRINE AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH RA CAN BE ALTERED THROUGH A YOGA INTERVENTION. DESIGN: EXERCISE INTERVENTION. SETTING: UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT A MEDICAL CLINIC. PARTICIPANTS: SIXTEEN INDEPENDENTLY LIVING, POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH AN RA CLASSIFICATION OF I, II, OR III ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RHEUMATOLOGY FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM SERVED AS EITHER PARTICIPANTS OR CONTROLS. INTERVENTION: THE STUDY GROUP PARTICIPATED IN THREE 75-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES A WEEK OVER A 10-WEEK PERIOD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: AT BASELINE AND ON COMPLETION OF THE 10-WEEK INTERVENTION, DIURNAL CORTISOL PATTERNS AND RESTING HEART RATE WERE MEASURED. BALANCE WAS MEASURED USING THE BERG BALANCE TEST. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE HEALTH ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (HIQ), A VISUAL ANALOG PAIN SCALE, AND THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY. RESULTS: YOGA RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED HAQ DISABILITY INDEX, DECREASED PERCEPTION OF PAIN AND DEPRESSION, AND IMPROVED BALANCE. YOGA DID NOT RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN AWAKENING OR DIURNAL CORTISOL PATTERNS (P = .12). 2009 10 2604 41 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE AFFLICTS UP TO 33% OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, YET THERE ARE NO EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED TREATMENTS FOR THIS SYMPTOM. METHODS: THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A 2-GROUP RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF AN IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. PARTICIPANTS WERE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO HAD COMPLETED CANCER TREATMENTS (OTHER THAN ENDOCRINE THERAPY) AT LEAST 6 MONTHS BEFORE ENROLLMENT, REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, AND HAD NO OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR FATIGUE SYMPTOMS OR INTERFERE WITH YOGA PRACTICE. BLOCK RANDOMIZATION WAS USED TO ASSIGN PARTICIPANTS TO A 12-WEEK, IYENGAR-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION OR TO 12 WEEKS OF HEALTH EDUCATION (CONTROL). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS CHANGE IN FATIGUE MEASURED AT BASELINE, IMMEDIATELY POST-TREATMENT, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT COMPLETION. ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN VIGOR, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED WITH ALL RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS USING LINEAR MIXED MODELS. RESULTS: THIRTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA (N = 16) OR HEALTH EDUCATION (N = 15). FATIGUE SEVERITY DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT AND OVER A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .032). IN ADDITION, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN VIGOR RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .011). BOTH GROUPS HAD POSITIVE CHANGES IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .05). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN SLEEP OR PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE WERE OBSERVED. CONCLUSIONS: A TARGETED YOGA INTERVENTION LED TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AND VIGOR AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. 2012 11 2836 37 YOGA'S IMPACT ON INFLAMMATION, MOOD, AND FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PURPOSE: TO EVALUATE YOGA'S IMPACT ON INFLAMMATION, MOOD, AND FATIGUE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED 3-MONTH TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED WITH TWO POST-TREATMENT ASSESSMENTS OF 200 BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS ASSIGNED TO EITHER 12 WEEKS OF 90-MINUTE TWICE PER WEEK HATHA YOGA CLASSES OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-STIMULATED PRODUCTION OF PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), AND INTERLEUKIN-1BETA (IL-1BETA), AND SCORES ON THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL FATIGUE SYMPTOM INVENTORY-SHORT FORM (MFSI-SF), THE VITALITY SCALE FROM THE MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY 36-ITEM SHORT FORM (SF-36), AND THE CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES-DEPRESSION (CES-D) SCALE. RESULTS: IMMEDIATELY POST-TREATMENT, FATIGUE WAS NOT LOWER (P > .05) BUT VITALITY WAS HIGHER (P = .01) IN THE YOGA GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. AT 3 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT, FATIGUE WAS LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = .002), VITALITY WAS HIGHER (P = .01), AND IL-6 (P = .027), TNF-ALPHA (P = .027), AND IL-1BETA (P = .037) WERE LOWER FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER ON DEPRESSION AT EITHER TIME (P > .2). PLANNED SECONDARY ANALYSES SHOWED THAT THE FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE HAD STRONGER ASSOCIATIONS WITH FATIGUE AT BOTH POST-TREATMENT VISITS (P = .019; P < .001), AS WELL AS VITALITY (P = .016; P = .0045), BUT NOT DEPRESSION (P > .05) THAN SIMPLE GROUP ASSIGNMENT; MORE FREQUENT PRACTICE PRODUCED LARGER CHANGES. AT 3 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT, INCREASING YOGA PRACTICE ALSO LED TO A DECREASE IN IL-6 (P = .01) AND IL-1BETA (P = .03) PRODUCTION BUT NOT IN TNF-ALPHA PRODUCTION (P > .05). CONCLUSION: CHRONIC INFLAMMATION MAY FUEL DECLINES IN PHYSICAL FUNCTION LEADING TO FRAILTY AND DISABILITY. IF YOGA DAMPENS OR LIMITS BOTH FATIGUE AND INFLAMMATION, THEN REGULAR PRACTICE COULD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS. 2014 12 1461 49 INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON MOOD STATES, DISTRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND IMMUNE OUTCOMES IN EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. CONTEXT: BREAST CANCER PATIENTS AWAITING SURGERY EXPERIENCE HEIGHTENED DISTRESS THAT COULD AFFECT POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES. AIMS: THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON MOOD STATES, TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND IMMUNE OUTCOMES IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: NINETY-EIGHT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM WITH SUPPORTIVE THERAPY PLUS EXERCISE REHABILITATION ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES FOLLOWING SURGERY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED PRIOR TO SURGERY AND FOUR WEEKS THEREAFTER. PSYCHOMETRIC INSTRUMENTS WERE USED TO ASSESS SELF-REPORTED ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, TREATMENT-RELATED DISTRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR ENUMERATION OF T LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS (CD4 %, CD8 % AND NATURAL KILLER (NK) CELL % COUNTS) AND SERUM IMMUNOGLOBULINS (IGG, IGA AND IGM). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: WE USED ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE TO COMPARE INTERVENTIONS POSTOPERATIVELY. RESULTS: SIXTY-NINE PATIENTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE CURRENT ANALYSIS (YOGA N = 33, CONTROL N = 36). THE RESULTS SUGGEST A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE STATE (P = 0.04) AND TRAIT (P = 0.004) OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION (P = 0.01), SYMPTOM SEVERITY (P = 0.01), DISTRESS (P < 0.01) AND IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE (P = 0.01) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANTLY LESSER DECREASE IN CD 56% (P = 0.02) AND LOWER LEVELS OF SERUM IGA (P = 0.001) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS FOLLOWING SURGERY. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE BENEFITS FOR YOGA IN REDUCING POSTOPERATIVE DISTRESS AND PREVENTING IMMUNE SUPPRESSION FOLLOWING SURGERY. 2008 13 1097 62 EFFECTS OF YOGA PROGRAM ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND AFFECT IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY COMPARES THE EFFECTS OF AN INTEGRATED YOGA PROGRAM WITH BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY AT A CANCER CENTRE. METHODS: EIGHTY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N = 44) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N = 44) PRIOR TO THEIR RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA SESSIONS LASTING 60 MIN DAILY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS IMPARTED SUPPORTIVE THERAPY ONCE IN 10 DAYS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR RESEARCH IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER-QUALITY OF LIFE (EORTCQOL C30) FUNCTIONAL SCALES AND POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SCHEDULE (PANAS). ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT. RESULTS: AN INTENTION TO TREAT GLM REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE ACROSS GROUPS OVER TIME FOR POSITIVE AFFECT, NEGATIVE AFFECT AND EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND SOCIAL FUNCTION. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN POSITIVE AFFECT (ES = 0.59, P = 0.007, 95%CI 1.25 TO 7.8), EMOTIONAL FUNCTION (ES = 0.71, P = 0.001, 95%CI 6.45 TO 25.33) AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION (ES = 0.48, P = 0.03, 95%CI 1.2 TO 18.5), AND DECREASE IN NEGATIVE AFFECT (ES = 0.84, P<0.001, 95%CI -13.4 TO -4.4) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN POSITIVE AFFECT WITH ROLE FUNCTION, SOCIAL FUNCTION AND GLOBAL QUALITY OF LIFE. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN NEGATIVE AFFECT WITH PHYSICAL FUNCTION, ROLE FUNCTION, EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND SOCIAL FUNCTION. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST A POSSIBLE ROLE FOR YOGA TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND AFFECT IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS. 2009 14 2654 36 YOGA IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE AND BENEFIT FINDING IN WOMEN UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING RADIOTHERAPY. SIXTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A YOGA OR A WAIT-LIST GROUP. YOGA CLASSES WERE TAUGHT BIWEEKLY DURING THE 6 WEEKS OF RADIOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES OF QOL, FATIGUE, BENEFIT FINDING (FINDING MEANING IN THE CANCER EXPERIENCE), INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND ANXIETY BEFORE RADIOTHERAPY AND THEN AGAIN 1 WEEK, 1 MONTH, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE END OF RADIOTHERAPY. GENERAL LINEAR MODEL ANALYSES REVEALED THAT COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER GENERAL HEALTH PERCEPTION (P = .005) AND PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING SCORES (P = .04) 1 WEEK POSTRADIOTHERAPY; HIGHER LEVELS OF INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01); AND GREATER BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS POSTRADIOTHERAPY (P = .01). THERE WERE NO OTHER GROUP DIFFERENCES IN OTHER QOL SUBSCALES FOR FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, OR SLEEP SCORES. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES INDICATED THAT INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS 1 MONTH AFTER RADIOTHERAPY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH BENEFIT FINDING 3 MONTHS AFTER RADIOTHERAPY (R = .36, P = .011). OUR RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE YOGA PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH STATISTICALLY AND CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ASPECTS OF QOL. 2010 15 329 57 ANXIOLYTIC EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM IN EARLY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY COMPARES THE ANXIOLYTIC EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND SUPPORTIVE THERAPY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS UNDERGOING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT AT A CANCER CENTRE. METHODS: NINETY-EIGHT STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N=45) OR BRIEF SUPPORTIVE THERAPY (N=53) PRIOR TO THEIR PRIMARY TREATMENT I.E., SURGERY. ONLY THOSE SUBJECTS WHO RECEIVED SURGERY FOLLOWED BY ADJUVANT RADIOTHERAPY AND SIX CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY WERE CHOSEN FOR ANALYSIS FOLLOWING INTERVENTION (YOGA, N=18, CONTROL, N=20). INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF YOGA SESSIONS LASTING 60MIN DAILY WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS IMPARTED SUPPORTIVE THERAPY DURING THEIR HOSPITAL VISITS AS A PART OF ROUTINE CARE. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED SPEILBERGER'S STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY AND SYMPTOM CHECKLIST. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE AT BASELINE, AFTER SURGERY, BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER RADIOTHERAPY AND CHEMOTHERAPY. RESULTS: A GLM-REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED OVERALL DECREASE IN BOTH SELF-REPORTED STATE ANXIETY (P<0.001) AND TRAIT ANXIETY (P=0.005) IN YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO CONTROLS. THERE WAS A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN ANXIETY STATES AND TRAITS WITH SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND DISTRESS DURING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT INTERVALS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN BE USED FOR MANAGING TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND ANXIETY IN BREAST CANCER OUTPATIENTS. 2009 16 1462 46 INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES AND WOUND HEALING IN EARLY OPERABLE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. CONTEXT: PRE- AND POSTOPERATIVE DISTRESS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS CAN CAUSE COMPLICATIONS AND DELAY RECOVERY FROM SURGERY. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA INTERVENTION ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES AND WOUND HEALING IN EARLY OPERABLE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY. METHODS: NINETY-EIGHT RECENTLY DIAGNOSED STAGE II AND III BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA PROGRAM WITH SUPPORTIVE THERAPY AND EXERCISE REHABILITATION ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES AND WOUND HEALING FOLLOWING SURGERY. SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED AT THE BASELINE PRIOR TO SURGERY AND FOUR WEEKS LATER. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, CLINICAL AND INVESTIGATIVE NOTES WERE ASCERTAINED IN THE BEGINNING OF THE STUDY. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR ESTIMATION OF PLASMA CYTOKINES-SOLUBLE INTERLEUKIN (IL)-2 RECEPTOR (IL-2R), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF)-ALPHA AND INTERFERON (IFN)-GAMMA. POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES SUCH AS THE DURATION OF HOSPITAL STAY AND DRAIN RETENTION, TIME OF SUTURE REMOVAL AND POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS WERE ASCERTAINED. WE USED INDEPENDENT SAMPLES T TEST AND NONPARAMETRIC MANN WHITNEY U TESTS TO COMPARE GROUPS FOR POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES AND PLASMA CYTOKINES. REGRESSION ANALYSIS WAS DONE TO DETERMINE PREDICTORS FOR POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: SIXTY-NINE PATIENTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE CURRENT ANALYSIS (YOGA: N = 33, CONTROL: N = 36). THE RESULTS SUGGEST A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE DURATION OF HOSPITAL STAY (P = 0.003), DAYS OF DRAIN RETENTION (P = 0.001) AND DAYS FOR SUTURE REMOVAL (P = 0.03) IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN PLASMA TNF ALPHA LEVELS FOLLOWING SURGERY IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.001), AS COMPARED TO THE CONTROLS. REGRESSION ANALYSIS ON POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOMES SHOWED THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION AFFECTED THE DURATION OF DRAIN RETENTION AND HOSPITAL STAY AS WELL AS TNF ALPHA LEVELS. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF YOGA IN REDUCING POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. 2008 17 451 37 CHANGES IN FATIGUE, AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS, AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS DUE TO SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME. BACKGROUND: IN A PREVIOUS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WE FOUND THAT SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IMPROVES FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) WHO ARE RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS BEHIND THIS FINDING, FOCUSING ON THE SHORT-TERM FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECT, BY COMPARING AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTION AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS BEFORE AND AFTER A SESSION OF ISOMETRIC YOGA. METHODS: FIFTEEN PATIENTS WITH CFS WHO REMAINED SYMPTOMATIC DESPITE AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPY PRACTICED SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA (BIWEEKLY 20 MIN PRACTICE WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND DAILY HOME PRACTICE) FOR EIGHT WEEKS. ACUTE EFFECTS OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE, AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS WERE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE FINAL SESSION WITH AN INSTRUCTOR. THE EFFECT OF A SINGLE SESSION OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE WAS ASSESSED BY THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATUS (POMS) QUESTIONNAIRE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE SESSION. AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTION (HEART RATE (HR) VARIABILITY) AND BLOOD BIOMARKERS (CORTISOL, DHEA-S, TNF-ALPHA, IL-6, IFN-GAMMA, IFN-ALPHA, PROLACTIN, CARNITINE, TGF-BETA1, BDNF, MHPG, AND HVA) WERE COMPARED BEFORE AND AFTER THE SESSION. RESULTS: SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE POMS FATIGUE SCORE (P < 0.01) AND INCREASED THE VIGOR SCORE (P < 0.01). IT ALSO REDUCED HR (P < 0.05) AND INCREASED THE HIGH FREQUENCY POWER (P < 0.05) OF HR VARIABILITY. SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA INCREASED SERUM LEVELS OF DHEA-S (P < 0.05), REDUCED LEVELS OF CORTISOL (P < 0.05) AND TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.05), AND HAD A TENDENCY TO REDUCE SERUM LEVELS OF PROLACTIN (P < 0.1). DECREASES IN FATIGUE SCORES CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN PLASMA LEVELS OF TGF-BETA1 AND BDNF. IN CONTRAST, INCREASED VIGOR POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH HVA. CONCLUSIONS: A SINGLE SESSION OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA REDUCED FATIGUE AND INCREASED VIGOR IN PATIENTS WITH CFS. YOGA ALSO INCREASED VAGAL NERVE FUNCTION AND CHANGED BLOOD BIOMARKERS IN A PATTERN THAT SUGGESTED ANTI-STRESS AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS. THESE CHANGES APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE SHORT-TERM FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECT OF SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH CFS. FURTHERMORE, DOPAMINERGIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVATION MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR SITTING ISOMETRIC YOGA-INDUCED INCREASES IN ENERGY IN THIS PATIENT POPULATION. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000009646. REGISTERED DEC 27, 2012. 2018 18 2250 38 THE LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA ON BLOOD BIOMARKERS, AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: IN A PREVIOUS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, WE FOUND THAT PRACTICING SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA REGULARLY FOR 2 MONTHS IMPROVED THE FATIGUE OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME (CFS) WHO ARE RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY. THE AIM OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBLE MECHANISMS BEHIND THIS FINDING BY COMPARING BLOOD BIOMARKERS, AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES BEFORE VERSUS AFTER AN INTERVENTION PERIOD OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA PRACTICE. METHODS: FIFTEEN PATIENTS WITH CFS WHO DID NOT SHOW SATISFACTORY IMPROVEMENTS AFTER AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OF CONVENTIONAL THERAPY PRACTICED SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA (BIWEEKLY 20-MIN SESSIONS WITH A YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND DAILY PRACTICE AT HOME) FOR 2 MONTHS. THE LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA ON FATIGUE, BLOOD BIOMARKERS, AUTONOMIC FUNCTION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE WERE INVESTIGATED BY COMPARING THE FOLLOWING PARAMETERS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD: FATIGUE SEVERITY WAS ASSESSED BY THE CHALDER FATIGUE SCALE (FS) SCORE. LEVELS OF THE BLOOD BIOMARKERS CORTISOL, DHEA-S, TNF-ALPHA, IL-6, PROLACTIN, CARNITINE, TGF-BETA1, BDNF, MHPG, HVA, AND ALPHA-MSH WERE MEASURED. THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS FUNCTIONS ASSESSED WERE HEART RATE (HR) AND HR VARIABILITY. PSYCHOLOGICAL INDICES INCLUDED THE 20-ITEM TORONTO ALEXITHYMIA SCALE (TAS-20) AND THE HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE (HADS). RESULTS: PRACTICING SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA FOR 2 MONTHS RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN THE CHALDER FS (P = 0.002) AND HADS-DEPRESSION (P = 0.02) SCORES. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN ANY OTHER PARAMETER EVALUATED. THE CHANGE IN CHALDER FS SCORE WAS NOT CORRELATED WITH THE CHANGE IN HADS-DEPRESSION SCORE. HOWEVER, THIS CHANGE WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CHANGES IN THE SERUM TNF-ALPHA LEVELS (P = 0.048), THE HIGH FREQUENCY COMPONENT OF HR VARIABILITY (P = 0.042), AND TAS-20 SCORES (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR PRACTICE OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA FOR 2 MONTHS REDUCED THE FATIGUE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOM SCORES OF PATIENTS WITH CFS WITHOUT AFFECTING ANY OTHER PARAMETERS WE INVESTIGATED. THIS STUDY FAILED TO IDENTIFY THE MARKERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LONGITUDINAL FATIGUE-RELIEVING EFFECT OF SEATED ISOMETRIC YOGA. HOWEVER, CONSIDERING THAT THE REDUCED FATIGUE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED SERUM TNF-ALPHA LEVEL AND TAS-20 SCORES, FATIGUE IMPROVEMENT MIGHT BE RELATED TO REDUCED INFLAMMATION AND IMPROVED ALEXITHYMIA IN THESE PATIENTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MEDICAL INFORMATION NETWORK (UMIN CTR) UMIN000009646. REGISTERED DEC 27, 2012. 2019 19 1429 34 IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING IN A PRAGMATIC CONTROLLED TRIAL OF A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM FOR PROFESSIONALS. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRAGMATIC CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING IN PROFESSIONALS WHO ATTENDED A YOGA-BASED PROGRAM. SETTING: THE 5-DAY RISE (RESILIENCE, INTEGRATION, SELF-AWARENESS, ENGAGEMENT) PROGRAM WAS DELIVERED AT THE KRIPALU CENTER FOR YOGA & HEALTH. RISE INCLUDED 5 H PER DAY OF YOGA, MEDITATION, LECTURES, AND EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITIES. SUBJECTS: ADULT PROFESSIONALS FROM EDUCATION, CORRECTIONS, AND SOCIAL SERVICE INSTITUTIONS WERE PRAGMATICALLY ASSIGNED TO THE RISE GROUP (N = 61) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 60). OUTCOME MEASURES: MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING WERE COMPLETED BEFORE RISE (BASELINE), IMMEDIATELY AFTER RISE (POSTPROGRAM), AND 2 MONTHS AFTER RISE (FOLLOW-UP). ANALYSES OF COVARIANCE WERE CONDUCTED TO COMPARE CHANGE SCORES BETWEEN GROUPS. RESULTS: EIGHTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (RISE N = 41, CONTROL N = 41) COMPLETED BASELINE AND POSTMEASURES AND WERE INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS, AND 57 (RISE N = 27, CONTROL N = 30) ALSO COMPLETED THE FOLLOW-UP. RELATIVE TO CONTROLS, THE RISE GROUP REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.51), RESILIENCE (P = 0.028, R(2) = 0.34), POSITIVE AFFECT (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.52), NEGATIVE AFFECT (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.52), MINDFULNESS (P = 0.021, R(2) = 0.13), AND JOB SATISFACTION (P = 0.034, R(2) = 0.08) FROM BASELINE TO POSTPROGRAM. FROM BASELINE TO FOLLOW-UP, COMPARED WITH CONTROLS THE RISE GROUP SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.33), RESILIENCE (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.24), POSITIVE AFFECT (P = 0.006, R(2) = 0.49), NEGATIVE AFFECT (P = 0.043, R(2) = 0.32), MINDFULNESS (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.28), EMPOWERMENT (P = 0.005, R(2) = 0.20), AND SELF-COMPASSION (P = 0.011, R(2) = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: THE RISE PROGRAM WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING IMMEDIATELY AFTER AND 2 MONTHS AFTER THE PROGRAM. FUTURE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. 2019 20 2149 20 THE EFFECTS OF POWER AND STRETCH YOGA ON AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL IN WOMEN. YOGA PRACTICE IS KNOWN TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING AND DECREASE STRESS. HOWEVER, ACUTE YOGA IS UNDERSTUDIED. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF YOGA ON AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS IN COLLEGE WOMEN. THIRTY-THREE WOMEN AGED 18-30 YEARS EACH COMPLETED 1-HOUR SESSIONS OF POWER YOGA AND STRETCH YOGA. MEASURES OF AFFECT AND SALIVARY CORTISOL WERE ASSESSED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER EACH SESSION. PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED POWER YOGA TO BE MORE PLEASURABLE AND ENERGIZING. SALIVARY CORTISOL SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AFTER BOTH YOGA SESSIONS. THUS, EVEN ONE SESSION OF YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING AFFECT AND DECREASING STRESS IN COLLEGE WOMEN. 2019